A Few Of My Favorite Things, aka I'm imparting the assenine wisdom of being a mom for a whopping 3 weeks.

So, here it is. A run-down of the things I love, the things I hate, etc. for being three weeks into the game. I always find it so interesting how every mom's list is different -- bottle sterilizers, for instance, are always 50/50. Some swear by Swaddlemes, but cannot figure out a Moby. But off the top of my head, these are my must-haves & my leave-alones. & remember that opinions & favorites lists are like assholes -- everyone has one & they all stink. Grain of salt, but maybe it will help someone who is about to pick up their registry gun & face ye olde Wall of Nipples.

Flannel receiving blankets a la Carter's (get ready for my love affair regarding all things Carters). Perfect for swaddling, light & compact enough to carry in the diaper bag, & great as an emergency burp cloth. My one word of caution -- wash on a delicate setting in cold water, then dry on a delicate setting to keep them smooth & soft.

There are no words to express my love for the Fisher Price My Little Lamb swing. NO WORDS. Every morning, Harrison happily swings for a good 30 or 45 minutes while I have a cup of coffee, check my email, & clean up a little from the night before. Also a plus when he's fussy -- just plop him in with a paci, get the swing going, & within minutes, he's quietly glaring at the little lamb mobile.


Fat, fluffy blankets if you have a fall/winter baby. I usually use them for stroller walks or tossing it over the car seat when it's a wee bit cooler outside. As I type, Harrison is snoozing in his Boppy with one snuggled over him since we keep it pretty cool in our house. Carter's makes them, but I'm a big fan of the one's from Target made by Circo (the upside of snagging them on sale for $9.99).

Newborn nipples for your bottles. You'll need at least 6, if not 8. Our bottles came with 1 month + nipples, but Harrison was choking on the formula, making a 10pm Target run necessary on our first night home. & to wash those little nips...


Bottle Sterilizer. I know, I know...50% of moms love them, 50% say they are $30 in the trash & unnecessary. Mark me in the former category because I adore mine on an unhealthy (but undoubtedly sanitary) level. We don't run our dishwasher often, so this is the perfect option to washing them in the sink, then popping all bottles, nipples, & pacifiers in the microwave for 2 minutes. Fast. Easy. Steamy. Like me in bed with my husband.

Soothies. No explanation needed. & no, you can never have enough. One for the stroller, the car seat, a few for the diaper bag, one to continuously wrestle from the dog, & one that will inevitably get wedged in the couch cushions with popcorn pieces & rusting pennies. In our house, we take it one step further with the Wubbanub, which helps keep the paci in his mouth & simultaneously gives him something fluffy to grasp. WIN.


Carter's fleece footed pajamas. LOVE. My girlfriend, Susan, brought a pair by the hospital & I immediately fell in love. She had the smarts & thoughtfulness to realize that a) Harrison was smaller than anticipated & b) the temperature dropped over 30 degrees from when we entered the hospital, so we were probably lacking anything warm in the newborn-size. The Momma & I promptly ran out & bought 3 more pairs within 24 hours of being home. They are so snuggly, soft, don't shrink, & easy to get on & off -- perfect for both fast stripping after spit-up or the bleary-eyed 3am diaper changes. & they're so damn cute with the puppy ears on the feet.


The Moby. If you read my blog, you know that this needs no other explanation. Best $40 ever spent. Exhibit A. Exhibit B.

and finally, for those that use formula, Munchkin Formula Dispensers. Get at least 3, if not 4. Yes, they're convenient for the diaper bag, but what I love most is how easy they make night feedings. Every night before bed, I fill up 3 bottles with water -- two 2oz and one 4oz bottle, & fill the dispenser accordingly with powdered formula. That way everything is in his nursery for the night to just pour & shake for bottles, eliminating any need to trot up & down stairs.



Things I'm not wild about:
1) Swaddlemes. Total waste of money, in my opinion. Harrison hated them, plus they were too thin to keep him warm. Maybe the fleece ones would have been better, but a blanket is just fine. Plus, he had his arms out of it in under 2.5 seconds.

2) Sleep outfits without feet. Don't even bother, for serious. No feet means socks, which Harrison kicks off during his sleep. & then he cries because his feet are cold, not that I blame him -- cold feet at 3am are nothing to joke about.

3) Fancy burp cloths. Just use plain pre-fold cloth diapers. You can snag 12 for roughly $10 as opposed to 3 pretty ones for $10. & we go through them like Sherman went through Atlanta.

4) Baby monitor. Our house is decent-sized at 1650 sq ft & two stories, but we don't use a monitor. Seriously, when the kid is awake, he lets us know & it echoes through the entire house. It also keeps us from freaking out over every single peep he makes in his sleep, which keeps me asleep & Nate sane. The only time I can see us using ours is next summer, when we're out on our screen porch at night past his bedtime.